22 killed in Niger road crash

Twenty-two people have died and 20 others were severely injured in a lone fatal crash involving a trailer on the Lambata-Lapai road in Niger State on Monday. Aishat Sa’adu, Sector Commander of the Niger State Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who confirmed the incident to our correspondent, said 42 people were in the vehicle along […]

Twenty-two people have died and 20 others were severely injured in a lone fatal crash involving a trailer on the Lambata-Lapai road in Niger State on Monday.

Aishat Sa’adu, Sector Commander of the Niger State Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who confirmed the incident to our correspondent, said 42 people were in the vehicle along with livestock when it crashed around 3am, killing 22 people on the spot.

She said the trailer had taken off from Kano and was en route to Lagos when it crashed, 10km from Lambata and 30km to Lapai town, the headquarters of Lapai Local Government Area in Niger State.

The sector commander said the dead bodies were taken to the Suleja General Hospital mortuary, while the 20 survivors were transported to the Federal Medical Centre Lambata for treatment.

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“I was part of the rescue operation from the beginning because they called the emergency response team at our headquarters. So, I was directly involved. The accident was fatal.

“In the crash, 42 people were involved, all male. At the scene, 22 died and 20 were injured. In our follow-up today, 16 of the survivors were taken from the Federal Medical Centre Lambata by their relatives for further medical attention.

“It was a lone crash caused by overspeeding. We have always warned against mixed loading, that is, transporting humans, animals and goods together in one vehicle.

“We have consistently campaigned against this practice, yet people continue to do it. We have carried out extensive sensitisation and public enlightenment.

We even held a town hall meeting with stakeholders on road safety, where we addressed this issue and educated the public.

“But many people still prefer to travel at night. This particular crash occurred around 3am on Monday,” she said.

 

Over 80 deaths recorded on Lambata-Bida road in 1 year

No fewer than 80 lives were lost between October 2024 and August 2025 on the Lambata-Bida Road. Several livestock were also killed during the period.

Residents told Daily Trust that most of the crashes involved heavy-duty vehicles carrying mixed loads of people and animals.

On September 8, 2024, a petrol-laden tanker overturned on the Lambata-Lapai-Agaie-Bida Road near Man-Woro village, spilling its contents before exploding. The flames engulfed a moving trailer carrying cattle and passengers, as well as a commercial vehicle.

The accident claimed 45 lives and killed 50 cows being transported from the North to Lagos.

Daily Trust recalls that the trailer, loaded with cattle, had departed Wudil in Kano State for Lagos, while the passenger vehicle was headed to Agaie market when both were consumed by the inferno.

Sources said the tanker, struggling to navigate the pothole-riddled road, overturned and exploded, setting everything in its path ablaze.

While some residents blamed overspeeding by heavy-duty vehicles on the newly tarred Lambata-Lapai stretch, other commercial drivers and community members attributed the frequent crashes to the deteriorating condition of the Agaie-Bida highway.

Another tanker fell and exploded on January 27, 2025, along the Lapai-Agaie border in Kusogbogi. Although no lives were lost, the fire destroyed the tanker and caused panic in nearby communities.

On May 18, 2025, at least seven people lost their lives and 11 others sustained severe injuries in a fatal crash along the Agaie-Bida road.

The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba Arah, attributed the accident to the deplorable condition of the road.

In October 2024, an elderly man identified as Ya’Aba Gurubu and his son were reportedly crushed to death in Lapai town, the headquarters of Lapai LGA.

They were killed while riding a motorcycle by an overspeeding truck in front of the Lapai LGA Secretariat.

Similarly, in January 2025, six people, including a baby, reportedly died in an accident along the Lambata-Lapai road.

The accident occurred around midnight when a Golf car carrying eight passengers en route to the Niger Republic collided head-on with a Lagos-bound passenger bus near Lapai town.

The latest accident, involving a trailer on the Lambata-Lapai road, killed 22 people on Monday.

 

Residents speak

Adamu Umar, a resident of Lambata, said the frequent accidents between Lambata and Lapai have become a serious concern for residents in the area.

He said that last week, two trailers were involved in a head-on collision, and while the occupants sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital, he could not confirm if any of them later died.

“The road from Lambata to Lapai is now very dangerous for smaller vehicles and motorcycle riders because of the presence of large trucks.

“Just last week, two trailers had a head-on collision between a village called Agwara and Old-Gawu. People were injured and taken to the hospital, but I don’t know if anyone died.

“Also, last week, a petrol-laden tanker fell at the same spot and fuel was spilling, but fortunately, it didn’t catch fire. The number of heavy-duty vehicles is just too high, making travel on that road very frightening,” he said.

Mallam Mahmud Abubakar, a witness from Lapai, said, “It’s the same story every time-speeding, poor roads, and no enforcement of traffic rules.”

A resident, Mohammed Hassan, said heavy-duty vehicles have caused several deaths on the Lapai-Lambata road since its construction due to excessive speeding.

“Authorities truly need to take action against the drivers of these heavy-duty vehicles. They have always been speeding since the construction of the Lambata-Lapai road. They constantly cause accidents that claim lives,” he said.

Mohammed Hassan, a resident of Lapai, expressed deep sadness over the recurring tragedies and called for urgent action.

“We must tackle the root causes – the bad roads and safety negligence. I believe these accidents are caused by the recklessness of heavy-duty vehicle drivers, who are often impatient on the road.

“Also, the government’s failure to fix our roads is another major issue. So, as far as I’m concerned, the government also shares responsibility for these recurring accidents,” he said.

Niger State, which has the largest landmass in Nigeria at about 76,000 square kilometres, also has the longest stretch of federal roads running through it.

These roads include the Lambata-Bida road, which has remained in a deplorable state for many years.

The Lambata-Lapai-Agaie-Bida road is currently undergoing reconstruction under the NNPC road intervention project.